Optimize dynamic search ads performance

Official checklist for using DSA campaigns to reach people without keywords.

Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaigns feature custom-tailored headlines and landing pages that help you reach customers as they search—while intelligently showing your ads against relevant queries. Here are recommendations to get the most out of your Dynamic Search Ads.

1. Create Dynamic Search Ad targeting groups based on user behavior

Use recommended categories as your dynamic ad targets.

Why: Categories are customized based on the content of your site. Ads only match to searches covered by your targets when you have a relevant landing page.

Tip

Queries that match to more than one DSA target within one campaign will prefer the more specific target — whichever target covers fewer pages of your site. Think about setting lower bids for all-website targets and their less specific traffic.

If you want to specify exact pages to target, or how to group them, use a page feed.

Case Study

Launched in 2005, trivago has quickly become one of the world’s largest hotel search engines. Operating in over 50 markets in more than 30 languages, the company helps millions of people compare over 900k hotels from hundreds of booking sites every day. They created Dynamic Search Ads for all their markets using category recommendations coupled with conversion-based automated bidding. The results? Up to 140% higher CTR on search terms for DSA vs. original ads, significantly lower CPAs for established markets and significant conversion gains in newer markets.

4. Optimize your website for your ads

Make page titles descriptive and compelling.

Why: Those titles are often incorporated into your automated headlines. You’re convincing users that you have what they’re looking for.

Let users know what to expect on your pages.

Why: Setting appropriate expectations connects with users that are more likely to convert and helps screen out clicks from people that would never be interested.